Breathalyzers Appear Poised For Return To DC Police Cars After 2 Years

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WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — The use of breathalyzers by police in DC may soon become common place again. The DC council is expected to vote on a measure to reinstate the breath-testing equipment on Tuesday.

Breathalyzers were shelved two years after officials discovered that hundreds of people had been charged with DUI because of inaccurate readings. The city has been using more expensive urine tests to confirm blood alcohol levels since 2010.

DC Council chair Phil Mendelson says the lack of breathalyzers have hurt the city’s efforts to crack down on drunk drivers.

The council is expected to vote to reinstate the breathalyzer program on Tuesday after assurances that all flaws have been fixed. If the measure passes the equipment could be reinstalled in police cruisers as early as August.

A vote on lowering the DUI threshold for commercial drivers to a blood alcohol level of .04 will also be cast. Currently, commercial drivers are subject to the same .08 guidelines as other drivers.